I've read with interest the debate over the upcoming tax cap vote. I think the truth lies somewhere near the middle. There are many property owners in Southern Maine who are now paying more in taxes than they paid for their mortgage when they bought their home 30 years ago. That's not right. The people of Maine have apparently had enough and will now get a chance to vote to change that.

Towns will not be decimated if the tax cap passes, but there will be fewer services than there used to be. A Sept. 23 editorial titled "Tax cap myth?" said, "... our news editors have been seeking readership-area residents forced to sell their homes because of high property taxes. They haven't found one yet." And they won't. After years of struggling to pay the taxes that house will be put on the market, sold and lifelong residents will simply move into a smaller, less expensive house quietly.

Talk to some of the old-timers in Harpswell and you'll hear of many stories of families selling homes that have been in their family for generations because of the huge tax bill and because one generation decided to take the money and run. Modest homes with an ocean view or the rare deepwater frontage properties are selling as fixer-uppers for a half-million dollars. It's hard to refuse for anybody struggling to make ends meet, but you are also selling your heritage and your grandchildren's future. Most won't contact the newspaper about that decision because it's a private, personal matter and so are Maine people. Are your editors?

After serving 20 years in the Air Force in many places around the world, I returned to Brunswick and lived at "home" for two years. It was something my family and I looked forward to for a long time. What I found was a high cost of living and surprisingly low wages.

Those two don't mix real well. So after two short years we ended up moving to South Carolina. I took a job that paid well and moved to a state with a relatively low cost of living. Our standard of living changed dramatically. Along with finding a nice home for about 50 percent the cost of a "nice home" in Brunswick, we also got a break with taxes. I pay approximately $1,000 per year for a $160,000 house. Instead of heating oil we have expensive cooling months. Our water/sewer bill is 65 percent less. Our police force is about the same size as Brunswick, but our town is twice as big.

Oh, but the schools. I know that Maine has some of the best public schools in the country, and we do miss the schools. My own personal observation is that my three children did well in the Brunswick school systems and are doing well here in South Carolina. The largest obstacle I see in all of our school systems today is the money spent outside of the classrooms. Maine and South Carolina are only a few hundred dollars apart in per-student spending.

Why are billions spent on a school breakfast/lunch program? Because good nutrition helps kids learn. OK. Now let me as a parent take care of that. If I need help with that, there is already a food stamp program in place along with WIC, community food pantries and the local soup kitchen. How much money can we save by just allowing parents to be responsible for feeding their own children. Now that we feel good about taking care of our own kids, let's take a chunk out of nonteaching positions. Let's allow schools to get back to teaching and parents back to parenting.

I know nothing is as simple as I've stated here, but it is something to think about. Learn the difference between wants and needs. Meet the needs. Carefully weigh the wants. Someone has to pay for that. There are many wonderful things we miss about Maine. Taxes isn't one of them

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